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Palestine–Syria relations

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Palestinian-Syrian relations
Map indicating locations of Syria and Palestine

Syria

Palestine

Syrian–Palestinian relations refers to the official relations between Syria and Palestine. Palestine has an embassy in Damascus, but Syria has no official representative office in Palestine.

History

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The two countries share a historical bond that goes back to the Phoenicians. However, in the 20th century, Syria and Palestine were carved up and divided between France and the British Empire.

Modern relations

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After the outbreak of thec 1948 Arab–Israeli War broke out, Syria sent troops to fight against the Israel Defense Forces.[1]However, the influx of Palestinian refugees into Syria complicated the relationship.

Syria also joined the Six-Day War, which led to even greater complexity. For the Syrians, failure to achieve its war aims damaged its reputation and created further mistrust.[2]

Hafez al-Assad, a Ba'athist, was known for his hostility towards Yasser Arafat and Faisal Husseini, with attempts to divide the Palestinian leadership.[3]

After the Syrian civil war

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The Syrian civil war left the Palestinians divided over the Assad regime. Leaders endorsed the 2011 civil uprisings in Syria and left their Syrian headquarters in Damascus in 2012.[4]

Some Palestinians accused Assad of enabling torture and murder of Palestinians,[5] and later the demolition of Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, notably Yarmouk.[6] Assad was further accused of allowing rape and torture of Palestinian detainees.[7]

Palestinians in Syria

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There were more than 500,000 Palestinians in Syria, mostly refugees, before the outbreak of Syrian Civil War.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Lost Opportunities for Peace in the Arab-Israeli Conflict: Israel and Syria, 1948-2001". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
  2. ^ Bowen, Jeremy (5 June 2017). "1967 war: Six days that changed the Middle East". BBC News.
  3. ^ "Palestinians and the Assad regime: for history and generations to know". Middle East Monitor. 8 July 2014.
  4. ^ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (2022-10-18). "Hamas delegation to visit Syria after shunning Assad for years". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  5. ^ "Monitoring Group: Over 35 Female Palestinian-Syrians Killed under Torture in Assad Prisons". Syrian National Coalition Of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces. 12 January 2019.
  6. ^ Sanchez, Raf (26 April 2018). "Palestinian refugee camp in Syria turns 'unimaginably brutal' as Assad regime drives Isil out of Yarmouk". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  7. ^ "'Assad regime tortured, electrocuted and raped Palestinian detainees'". Middle East Monitor. 14 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Palestine Refugees in Syria: A Recurring Tragedy". The Elders. 25 November 2015.